Speaking during a meeting with women in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States, Rev. Dorcas painted a grim picture of the situation in Kenya, citing rising cases of substance abuse, suicide, road accidents and crime.
She claimed that by the time she left office, half of university students were struggling with alcohol and drug abuse, further alleging that at least 10 university students were dying by suicide daily.
According to Rev. Dorcas, 90 per cent of those affected are boys, leaving families devastated as parents who send their children to university expecting them to graduate instead receive their bodies.
The figures cited by the former Second Lady could not be independently verified.
She singled out Central Kenya, claiming that religious leaders in the region are increasingly overwhelmed by the number of young men dying from alcohol-related complications.
Rev. Dorcas said some pastors were conducting burials every week for young men who reportedly died after consuming alcohol without eating.
She also linked alcohol and substance abuse to road accidents, claiming that some matatu and boda boda operators drive while intoxicated, endangering passengers and other road users.
According to her, the situation has contributed to deaths and permanent disabilities, with hospitals treating numerous victims of motorcycle accidents.
Rev. Dorcas further argued that substance abuse was contributing to crime and gender-based violence, leaving families without breadwinners and exposing women and children to economic hardship.
She claimed that men account for 90 per cent of the prison population, saying incarceration and premature deaths were leaving behind widows, struggling mothers and children unable to access education.
Reflecting on her work during her tenure as Second Lady, Rev. Dorcas said her office had assisted more than 2,000 people who lost their sight or limbs after consuming illicit alcohol by providing them with assistive devices.
She called on Kenyan women living abroad to take an active role in addressing the crisis by engaging their sons and husbands and supporting awareness campaigns in schools back home.
Rev. Dorcas maintained that efforts to protect the girl child must also address challenges facing boys and young men, arguing that their deaths and incarceration have far-reaching consequences for women, children and society.
